Cousins, 32, fronted the media on Wednesday at the Tigers' Punt Rd headquarters, stopping just short of claiming he was lucky to be alive after he was rushed to hospital on Monday morning and spent the night in intensive care.

"I got the dosage wrong and had an adverse affect to the medication, found myself in a bit of strife," he said.

"I guess it's probably a lesson for everybody. It's not just the medication you are taking, it's how much of it. It's been a big wake up call for me.

"I was in a bit of a bad way a couple of days ago but I have been able to tick the legs over today. I feel pretty fresh, full training tomorrow and I will do everything I can to get the match committee to pick me this week against against Freo. The boys are up and about.

"I don't remember a lot of it to be honest. I was asleep for the best part of it, so probably (it was) serious for the people around me. I was lucky my girlfriend was there."

It's understood Cousins' sleeping tablets were not the regular Stilnox or Temazepam, rather a prescribed sedative for his chronic sleeping problems.

"It's between me and my doctor. It's above board, it's not illegal or anything untoward," Cousins insisted.

"It's something that has been prescribed to me with a fair bit of thought process going into it. It's just probably an error of my judgement."

Cousins said he would no longer take the tablets after he was unable to be roused on Monday morning by his girlfriend, Maylea Tinecheff.

"I won't. Once bitten, twice shy. It's a serious thing and something I have got to continue to re-evaluate," he said.

Cousins arrived at Punt Rd with a cup of coffee in hand,  joking to reporters it was "only de-caff". But his troubles this weekend dealing with "uppers" - caffeine stimulants to boost his energy during games - and "downers", sleeping tablets, have cast a shadow over all AFL players.

Cousins also did not help himself by having three glasses of wine before the sleeping tablets.

The Brownlow medallist said the use caffeine and sleeping tablets was not rampant in the AFL, although St Kilda star Lenny Hayes has said No-Doz caffeine tablets were "used fairly commonly throughout the AFL".

"I don't think it's been abused. I just think for stuff like that it's important to consult your club doctor," Cousins said.

"It's certainly not an illegal substance. A cup of coffee virtually does the same thing. I haven't seen it abused and I think to abuse caffeine probably has an adverse effect on your performance."

Cousins also justified his decision to call the AFL doctor Peter Harcourt and insist he be drug tested.

"I think it was important with my history and speculation and innuendo that surrounds anything that happens to me, there is always going to be that speculation," he said.

"It (speculation) certainly wasn't of an innocent nature. I just thought it was an opportunity to clear my name from that point of view."

While he remains confident of playing out the season, Cousins now appears increasingly unlikely to be given a new contract for next year.

He hopes to play on but understands that wish may not be granted.

"It's more something I think the club is continually assessing," he said.

"I have got eight games of footy that I am looking forward to. I am hoping to play good footy, justify my existence. I will sit down with the coach and see what they have in store.

"I have had a great time at Richmond. If it comes to and end at the end of the year, I won't leave bitter and twisted.

"It's been an amazing club to be involved in. They have given me an opportunity to get my life back on track. So, if it ends now it will be disappointing but I will walk away a happy person."

Cousins is drug tested up to three times a week by the AFL but the man himself has spoken of his fears about remaining "clean" when he no longer has the support and direction of an AFL club around him.

After his off-field drug-fuelled antics were exposed while with the West Coast Eagles, Cousins was deregistered for the 2008 season for bringing the game into disrepute.

Cousins was hospitalised twice on the eve of this season with what the Tigers have termed "gastric" issues.